Max Corn Maze helps raise funds for FFA

October 13, 2012

MAX - People can expect plenty of fall fun at the Max Corn Maze this weekend, said Max High School sophomore Gwen Scheresky.

The corn maze, located near Scheresky Ag Service, about 24 miles south of Walmart in Minot on U.S. Highway 83, is a fundraiser for the Max FFA and Rocky Acres 4-H Club.

This weekend is the last regular weekend for the corn maze. It will be open from noon to 6 p.m. today and Sunday. The corn maze will also be open for special events later in the month. It will be open from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday and for "flashlight night" from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday. The "haunted maze" will be open on Oct. 20 from 6 to 7 p.m. for younger children and from 7 to 10 p.m. for older children and adults. The price of admission is $6 per person, with children 5 and under admitted for free.

Article Photos

Submitted PhotoThe Max Corn Maze took the students many hours to put together.

"We call it a family event," said Scheresky, who said there are a lot of fun events for the whole family. Fellow sophomore Jordan Tomlinson said the corn maze includes a kiddie train, a big bale maze, pumpkins and an area where people can have pictures taken with their children. Concessions are also available.

"We have lots of fun for the young ones," said Tomlinson.

Students created the maze design last spring and used high-tech software to overlay the design on a satellite map and then used the handheld GPS to guide the tiller cutting out the maze.

Scheresky said the GPS technology made it easier this year to create the corn maze.

"It's a really nice maze," Scheresky said, with no weeds and no stumps. "We didn't have to use weed wackers."

The flashlight night on Thursday will let people find their way through the maze with their flashlights after dark. The haunted maze night on Oct. 20 will be pretty scary, said Scheresky, who said different groups will be guided through the maze by student workers and won't be expected to find their way on their own.

"The challenge is to make it through without peeing your pants," said Scheresky. "Every year we've had somebody pee their pants."

Scheresky wouldn't reveal what scary sights people can expect, but said there will be "scary stations" and "spookers" and "everything you can imagine that will scare you."

The Haunted Maze is being offered a little early this year, but that will just free people up for more Halloween fun the next weekend.

The 4H and FFA members have largely designed the maze, built it, grew the pumpkins and done marketing for it themselves. Proceeds go to both organizations and will help purchase materials for next year's maze.

The 4H has held the Haunted Maze for the past seven years and the FFA joined them about four years ago.